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But, worryingly for many motorists, if you touch the phone while the engine is on you are breaking the law.

This means, unless you can guarantee you won’t need to handle it for the duration of your trip, it would be wise not to use your phone.

The law also applies when drivers are sitting in stationary traffic, so they technically can’t even adjust the route at lights or in a traffic jam.

There are rules on using your phone as a sat nav drivers should be aware of (Image: Birmingham Mail)

Pre-programme your phone

According to the AA, while it’s an offence to be seen using a hand held phone, regardless of whether driving has been affected, this is not the case for hands-free phones.

However, if you’re seen not to be in control of a vehicle while using a hands-free phone you can be prosecuted for that offence.

The penalties for “not in proper control” are a £100 fine and 3 points and up to £1,000 fine if it goes to court.

Make sure you set up your phone properly to use as hands-free before you set off and, if you need to touch your phone at any point during your journey, pull over to do so.

A spokesman for the AA said: “It should be programmed with the route before you set off.

“If it pops up with a message which requires just one press of a button, such as ‘A faster route has been found. Accept/ Decline’ you should be OK to do this, as you would with an in-built sat-nav.

“But if you need to re-programme the route then pull over and stop somewhere safe to do it.”

Get an appropriate holder

Getting caught using your mobile will cost you (Image: Daily Mirror)

To display your mobile phone so you can hear it while driving - and so you can follow instructions without being too distracted, most drivers will place the handset into a holder which can be attached to the windscreen.

But if police deem this to be obstructing your view, it can count against you.

Under the Highway Code, drivers are required to keep windscreens clear.

You can buy holders which attach to your air vents, eliminating this problem.

If in doubt...

Think you won’t be able to go the whole journey without touching your phone?